Maryland tackle Jaelyn Duncan has earned pre-draft visits from the Chiefs and seemingly every other team in the NFL.
Former Maryland left tackle Jaelyn Duncan recently took a visit with the Kansas City Chiefs. He’s also visited most of the airports belonging to NFL cities these days. As one of the most heavily-scouted college prospects leading into the 2023 NFL Draft, it will be interesting to see where Duncan falls.
Duncan is a long-term starter at left tackle for the Terrapins where he was Honorable Mention All-Big Ten the last three seasons. With 39 starts, a solid frame, and impressive athleticism, some teams might view any concerns as coachable ones and draft him accordingly. Scouts generally place him in the third to fifth round range.
According to Wilson, other teams interested who have brought in Duncan for a visit before the draft include the New Orleans Saints, Baltimore Ravens, Las Vegas Raiders, Tennessee Titans, Arizona Cardinals, and more. The Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Houston Texans, and Indianapolis Colts have at least had a Zoom call with him.
If that sounds like a lot, it is. That doesn’t necessarily equate to a lot of competition for Duncan’s services—although it certainly could. It could also point to a prospect with an incomplete picture on a lot of draft boards. Yes, there are some exciting projections about how Duncan could perform in the NFL. There’s also a lot of game tape with conflicting highlights that stifle some of that hype.
For the Chiefs, the selection of Duncan would potentially add some competition at right tackle, if that’s what they were wanting, or else a candidate for a swing tackle role, if the Chiefs grab an obvious starter earlier in the draft. It feels like Duncan could be scouted as a fall-back option in case the earlier rounds don’t work out as hoped. Either way, the Chiefs are clearly doing their homework at the position.